As my dad wrote to me after I began my first year of rabbinical school: "You have to know that my love is unending whether I am physically present or in God’s hands. You don’t have to be scared for me – this is our expression of faith. You don’t have to be scared for you – the material is easier or harder but you will find ways to reach your goals."
“Use your words!” Rest assured you aren’t the first parent to try to instill this concept. It’s also the tough lesson Moshe learns in Parshat Chukat.
Question: What do you get when a bunch of Jews go to church to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fast known as "Eid al-Fitr?" Answer: Increased understanding and mutual ties of camaraderie. More on this below.
“Need a penny, take a penny. Have a penny, give a penny.” I’m sure you’ve seen the little sign at a grocery store. It’s anonymous charity. The idea is that there exists a pair of strangers at any given time, one who needs the extra penny and one who has the extra change to supply it.
Life with a “threenager” (or a child of just about any age) means rebellion is all too familiar. But parenting, like Parshat Korach, is about boundaries as much as anything else.
D'var from Friday, July 1st - Rabbi David Kosak and d'var from Saturday, July 2nd - Rabbi David Kosak. Recorded and edited by Ed Kraus.
The other night, I suddenly was struck by the paucity of older male family figures who are left to me. My blood line of elders are slipping from this world, and with it, the familial connection to someone who's been through it, and can reflect some wisdom on what they did to navigate life's passages.
